Grieving family seeks answers 3 months after woman's slaying

1/1

Lara Solt/Staff Photographer

“We deserve answers,” said LaShaun Steward about the police investigation into the death of her sister D’Lisa Kelley. A police spokesman said it’s a balancing act to give the family information and at the same time to not jeopardize the investigation.

Loved ones of D’Lisa Kelley are putting renewed pressure on Dallas police to find her killer, three months after the 24-year-old pregnant woman disappeared in an east Oak Cliff neighborhood and was found dead a week later in an abandoned home nearby.

Kelley’s sister and childhood friend were among those who gathered outside Dallas police headquarters Tuesday to express frustration that authorities haven’t made an arrest or communicated enough with the family.

Tuesday’s call for action comes as the family plans other efforts to raise awareness and seek justice, including a march later this month from the spot where Kelley was last seen to where she was found. They also want a “Kelley Alert,” similar to the Amber Alert for children or the Silver Alert for seniors, that would be used to help find adults who are known to be in imminent danger.

A Dallas police spokesman said Tuesday that police haven’t given up on the case but can’t release information to the family that might jeopardize the investigation.

“It’s a balancing act of giving the family the information they feel like they want and deserve, while still maintaining the integrity of that investigation,” said Maj. Max Geron. “That is certainly what we’re trying to do.”

Kelley was last seen March 7 leaving her grandmother’s house to go to her best friend’s wake.

While on her way, Kelley placed a phone call — it’s not clear whether the call was intentional — to one of her sisters. During the call, Kelley was heard screaming and arguing with a man in the background. When her sister texted her to ask what was happening, Kelley texted back that the man — who has never been named — thought that she had been spending time with another man. Kelley also texted that she would call soon but she never did, her family said.

That scuffle and text exchange leads Kelley’s loved ones to believe she knew her killer.

After Kelley’s family called 911, police searched about a week for Kelley, who was the mother of a young boy and who was two months pregnant.

On March 14, she was found dead by police in an abandoned home less than 2 miles from where she was last seen. She had been strangled and beaten, according to the Dallas County medical examiner’s office.

Since then, Steward said her family has felt left in the dark about the investigation and would like more frequent updates from police. She said detectives “could be doing everything, working sunup to sundown,” but the family doesn’t know what they’re doing because of a lack of communication.

Steward also expressed concern about the police’s handling of the initial 911 call. “It’s hard to think that maybe had they done something, more in the beginning, she would probably still be here,” she said.

Dallas police launched an administrative investigation into how the 911 call was handled, which is still ongoing. A supervisor in the 911 call center was temporarily placed on administrative leave but has since returned to work.

The police conducted a “want to locate” report on Kelley and issued an endangered person bulletin, but, Geron said, Kelley did not qualify as “critical missing” because she was a mentally competent adult and did not have a medical condition that required constant supervision.

Kelley’s family and friends are pushing for legislative change that would help fill the gaps between alerts for young children and elderly adults, allowing police to make an exception for adults who they know are in immediate danger. They are gathering signatures for the proposed Kelley Alert.

Later this month, they plan to walk through the neighborhood knocking on doors and asking the community for tips, to help Dallas police in their investigation.

“If they won’t do it, we’ll help them do it,” said family friend Dominique Alexander. “We want justice to be served for D’Lisa Kelley.”

To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.